Only One Room Left

"I will handle him."

Since I had defeated Amon with Dispel, Dukaert could be considered the first opponent with high defense that I would face head-on. I decided that fighting him would be the perfect opportunity to test the power of the blindfold's effect: 300% Increase in Critical Damage.

What was his name again...?

Just then, one of the bandits fleeing from the blood-drenched Kaen screamed out.

"Big Brother Dukaert!!"

Right. It was Dukaert.

Slash!

The man who had called out to Dukaert fell to the floor, his back sliced open by Kaen's sword.

"B-Brother..."

The man, who seemed to be Dukaert's younger brother, reached out a trembling hand and whimpered, but...

Thrust.

...Kaen's sword immediately pierced straight through his heart.

"My brother—!!"

Watching the scene unfold, Dukaert roared in fury.

"You bastards..."

Dukaert looked ready to leap down and tear Kaen apart at any second. In that instant, I closed the distance.

With a single leap, I landed on the railing of the second-floor balcony. Holding Sierra in a reverse grip, I aimed straight for his neck.

Clang!!

However, my Demon Blade was blocked by his massive axe, emitting a sharp, metallic ring.

He isn't lacking in physical strength or mana.

My sword and his axe clashed, locked in a fierce contest of strength.

"A blind man...?"

Dukaert spat, noticing the bandages wrapped around my eyes. Despite his massive build, he couldn't push me back, likely because our levels were similar.

I yielded slightly, twisting my body mid-air to dodge his axe.

Crash!!

The axe swung down with terrifying force, completely shattering the wooden railing I had just been ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠standing on.

"I don't know where you trash crawled out from... but you won't leave here alive," Dukaert growled, lifting his heavy axe.

"..."

"Especially that bitch who killed my brother—I'll violate her right next to your corpse!!"

With those vile words, Dukaert swung his axe again. It tore through the air toward me at a ferocious speed.

I only see a few weak points.

I ducked to evade the swing, carefully observing every inch of Dukaert's body. Because his entire frame was covered in the dark, stone-like skin of a gargoyle, there were far fewer red circles from my Weakness Detection skill compared to the enemies I had fought before. Only his joints showed visible weak points.

Boom!

The axe I had just dodged smashed into the adjacent wall, shattering the masonry. I didn't miss the opening. Targeting his arm, which was still extended above my head, I sliced along the weak point located precisely at his elbow.

Screeech!!

The horrific sound of grinding stone echoed as fragments of gargoyle skin sprayed in all directions.

The power of the blindfold's 300% Increase in Critical Damage completely bypassed his hardened hide. There was a slight resistance, but it didn't require much effort.

Slash!

Following the trajectory of my blade, his arm was severed cleanly, and a geyser of blood erupted.

"Argh...!!"

Having lost an arm in an instant, Dukaert hastily pulled back his axe with his remaining hand and retreated.

"Fuck, what kind of sword is..."

I didn't let him finish his curse. I lunged forward immediately, giving him no time to breathe.

"Ugh...!"

Panic ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠filled Dukaert's eyes as he struggled to regain his stance. He swung his axe wildly with his single arm, but his speed was nowhere near what it had been.

I ran toward him, leaped, lightly stepped on the shaft of his swinging axe, and closed the distance to his chest.

Dukaert tried to scramble backward, but a faint smile played on my lips.

Right before my eyes, a vivid red circle was clearly marked on his neck.

My sword swept across his throat.

Slice!

Since his neck wasn't covered by the gargoyle skin, the blade passed through with a soft, clean sound, severing Dukaert's head.

Tap.

I landed gracefully behind him. Beside my feet, Dukaert's head rolled across the floor.

It was a satisfying result.

The moment his death was confirmed, a surge of energy coursed through my body.

I leveled up.

I had finally reached level 26. With this, even if I invested 4 points into Ghost Swordsmanship to raise the level of Reverse Heaven, I would still have 2 points left over. Once I did that, I would likely be able to use the Second Form of Reverse Heaven.

I immediately glanced at Sierra. I was slightly worried that she might find my rapid growth suspicious.

Sierra, who had been watching my battle from the side, was stroking her chin and observing me intently.

Sierra's voice echoed in my mind, filled with admiration. She seemed genuinely astonished by how easily I had found the enemy's weak points.

Since I couldn't speak to Sierra right now, I turned my head slightly and focused on the hall below.

Kaen was standing there.

Standing in the center of the hall, drenched in blood, she had a thoroughly refreshed expression on her face. There was no one else left standing. Only a few men lay on the floor, groaning in agony as they bled out, clearly on the verge of death.

Kaen, who had been tilting her head back to take a deep breath, spotted me on the second floor and spoke.

"Cadet Zeto! I've cleaned up everything down here!"

Hearing the bright tone in her voice, it seemed the rare chance to fight had put her in a good mood. Despite her usual calculations about hiding her strength, I recalled that Kaen, much like the Sword Saint, simply enjoyed and loved combat.

"...I have just finished up here as well."

At my reply, Kaen looked at Dukaert's headless, one-armed corpse behind me, then spoke again.

"He looked quite tough... but you sliced right through him, didn't you?"

"It seems this brute was the leader. Why don't you come up here so we can talk?"

At my invitation, Kaen practically bounded up the stairs. Drenched in blood from head to toe, she approached me with a bright, cheerful face, carrying a heavy scent of iron.

"Are you hurt anywhere?"

"Not at all! I actually feel quite refreshed for the first time in a while," Kaen said, offering a sweet smile.

"What is this place? Is it that leader's room?"

Kaen and I naturally stepped into the room behind Dukaert's corpse. Unlike the room of the blood mage Relial, whom we had defeated before, Dukaert's room wasn't particularly elegant. It was messy and completely disorganized.

"Hmm... there's a lot of stuff here..." Kaen murmured, looking around.

I pretended to search the room alongside her, slowly walking toward the spot where the gift meant for the vampire should be. In a corner of the room, I found a luxurious leather case.

"Hmm..."

Letting out a soft grunt for show, I opened the case to inspect its contents.

This is it.

Confirming the item, I smiled and lifted it out.

"It's a coat? That looks incredibly high-quality!" Kaen exclaimed, walking over to inspect it as I held it up.

This black coat was the armor I had been looking for. It wasn't just a normal piece of clothing; it was a Unique-grade armor called 'Night's Veil'.

Because of the game's mechanics, many pieces of armor looked like ordinary clothes. In fact, even our academy uniforms could technically be classified as armor.

Kaen peered deeper into the case and picked up a letter that had been lying inside.

Kaen read the first line aloud. After scanning the rest of the letter carefully, she turned to me.

"...It looks like they were planning to present this coat to Barsium as a gift. It says it's been treated with expensive magic. It was made by a very famous artisan! It's probably... much better than our academy uniforms, isn't it?"

Kaen tossed the letter aside and stepped closer to me as I held the coat.

"The size looks like a perfect fit. Wouldn't it be better for Cadet Zeto to wear it rather than handing it over to some vampire?"

With blood still smeared across her face, Kaen raised an eyebrow and giggled.

"Well, I suppose so..." I replied, my voice sounding a bit awkward.

Since we had fought together, I felt like I should give Kaen some kind of reward. Fortunately, I had plenty of money on hand. It would be best to buy her a suitable item as a gift later.

After packing the coat, Kaen and I rummaged through the room a bit more, but we didn't find anything else of value. We then headed down to the dungeon where the kidnapped women were waiting.

When ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠we returned to the cells, the women's eyes went wide at the sight of Kaen, who was completely drenched in blood. We immediately began untying them.

"Thank you so much..."

"We must do something to repay you..."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Sob... how can we ever repay this kindness..."

Only now realizing they were truly safe, the women wept and repeatedly expressed their gratitude. When they insisted on rewarding us, I politely declined, telling them it wasn't necessary.

To be honest, I felt uncomfortable. I hadn't come here out of pure heroism to save them. Kaen might have deserved their thanks, but I was not someone worthy of such gratitude.

Having lived through many stories within the game, I knew all too well that I couldn't save everyone who died unjustly. I was by no means a hero.

"I would appreciate it if you kept our involvement a secret from others. It would be troublesome for us if our identities were revealed, haha," I said with a gentle smile to the huddled group.

Between Kaen's distinct pink hair and the bandages over my eyes, we were far too easy to identify. The women looked at us, understood my meaning, and nodded in agreement.

Now, it was time to send them home safely. Though some gagged at the sight of the numerous corpses along the way, there were no living enemies left, allowing us to escort them out of the building without incident.

After watching the women head back to their respective homes, Kaen, who was standing beside me, spoke up.

"Um... I think we should stop by an inn! I'm completely covered in blood..."

Indeed, there was no way Kaen could return to the academy looking like that. Since the weekend had just begun, spending a night at an inn to rest wasn't a bad idea.

"Let's do that," I replied, handing her my outer robe to cover herself.

At that moment, Sierra's sharp voice, which had been quietly listening to our conversation, rang in my head.

"Every room has a bathtub, but... oh dear, what should we do? We only have one room left right now."

When we found a nearby inn and asked about the rooms and bathtubs, the innkeeper scratched his head and gave us a troubled reply.

At his words, Sierra's face contorted in my mind. Sensing a sudden chill, I quickly spoke to Kaen.

"There's no helping it then. Let's look for another inn..."

"O-Oh, no. It's already late, so let's just stay here... It'll be hard to find another inn at this hour anyway..."

Kaen cut me off, turning her head away as she spoke in a shy, quiet voice.

"Pardon...? But still, a man and a woman sharing a room?"

"A-A man and a woman?! I-I just want to wash up quickly! What on earth are you thinking?!"

With her cheeks flushed bright red, Kaen stammered, her eyes darting all over the place.

Sierra threw a massive fit, shouting at the top of her lungs, though of course, Kaen couldn't hear a word of it.

Sierra clung tightly to my shoulders, glaring fiercely at Kaen as she made her threat.